Travel and Hiking

There's a lot to see on our Immortal Valley Loop hike – many pools filled with clear spring water, waterfalls, big trees, wild flowers, some Great Wall, the Miyun Reservoir, and views of valleys and mountains. Much of the valley is shaded, and we will walk by pools and waterfalls that have frozen into fantastic shapes—a really scenic hike in winter with all the ice.

The first section of the trail is through a park and is well shaded by leafy trees. A clear stream runs down through the valley, passing large granite boulders, forming natural pools, and flowing off cliffs in waterfalls that are up to twenty metres high.

After about twenty minutes’ walk up the concrete park trail, we'll climb a steep set of stairs to reach an overlook on the the first of the big falls. The waterfall is fed by water from the small reservoir above, and used for ice climbing when it's all frozen during winter.

From there we continue up Immortal Valley, passing pools of water and caves in the steep cliffs and heading for the shaded valley trail that will take us up to the top.

Cost: ¥400 / ¥360 for members

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Head deep into the mountains of Fujian to see the tulou buildings of the Hakka, visiting those both well-known and obscure, and staying overnight in a tulou building in one of the smaller, less-visited clusters. Trip includes sights around Xiamen, including Gulangyu Island.

Trip overview

Day One
Meet up in Xiamen, visit seaside sights including Huli Mountain Cannon Fort, evening walkabout in downtown night market; overnight in Xiamen hotel.
Day Two
Drive to Yongding County and tulou area, check in at tulou guesthouse in small village, explore nearby tulou buildings; overnight in tulou guesthouse.
Day Three
Easy hike in the hills and rice paddies behind the village, drive to the Hongkeng tulou cluster area for a walking tour of the main buildings, drive back to Xiamen; overnight in Xiamen hotel.
Day Four
Tour of Gulangyu Island with included lunch; trip finishes mid-afternoon.

Please make your booking through our website, and we'll email you back to confirm the details. Reservations are essential, and making a booking is quick and easy.

Full information for this trip
Link: https://www.beijinghikers.com/explore-china/view/1844/hakka-tulou-clusters-and-xiamen-fujian-province-2

Online booking for this trip
Link: https://www.beijinghikers.com/explore-china/book/1844/hakka-tulou-clusters-and-xiamen-fujian-province-2

Beijing Hikers runs hikes and trips to the Great Wall, hills, mountains, forests, and villages around Beijing every week, with a wide range of hikes that are suitable for casual walkers as well as the super-fit.

Visit https://www.beijinghikers.com to find out more about hiking in Beijing and to see all the excellent hikes we have coming up.

Beijing Hikers – leading the way, since 2001

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com / +86 (10) 6432-2876

Do your first hike of 2026!

Explore the Panlongshan section of the the Gubeikou Great Wall, starting with a climb up to the 24-Eyes Tower, finishing with a look at some of the Great Wall towers on the west side of the big North Gate, and hiking all the wall in between. Includes an early dinner at a countryside restaurant.

Cost: ¥470 / ¥420 for members / ¥240 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1765/gubeikou-great-wall-2/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Hike from the tiny settlement of Hemp Village through the hills to the Gubeikou Great Wall. Post-hike Christmas feast and dumpling-making contest!

The starting point for this hike, Hemp Village, is a tiny settlement hidden away at the end of a long valley. In the hills behind Hemp Village is the line of Great Wall that joins Gubeikou and Jinshanling, which we’ll follow through the hills.

Eventually the trail will take us up to the wall, and after a bit of a hill climb we’ll reach the 24-Eyes Tower, the tallest tower of the Gubeikou stretch of Great Wall. It used to be that there were six big windows on each side of the tower, adding up to twenty-four. But during the fighting between the Chinese and Japanese armies in the late '30s, two of the sides of the tower were destroyed by bombing. As well as a few destroyed towers, you can also spot bullet holes in the Great Wall in this area.

From the 24-Eyes Tower we’ll follow the wall to the west, passing through a lot of towers – some in good condition, some tumbled down to foundations only. For most of this last part of the hike we’ll be on the wall, except for a short detour along a trail through a small pine forest.

And then, after we’re all done with the hike, we’ll head to a local restaurant where we’ll have a big (although maybe not so traditional) Christmas feast of Chinese food, washed down with a good amount of beer.

After lunch, we’ll have a dumpling-making contest, with prizes awarded for ‘Most Dumplings’ and ‘Best Dumpling.’ If your dumplings are up to scratch, we may be be able to eat them as well!

Cost: ¥480 / ¥430 for members / ¥240 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/807/great-wall-christmas-hemp-village-to-gubeikou-great-wall/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Follow a trail through the Changping countryside, passing villages, quarries, and a local shrine on the way to the Silver Pagodas, a set of five well-preserved 600-year-old pagodas that are all that remains of a big Buddhist temple.

The temple site dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), with the pagodas built in the 1400’s. The silver bells of the pagodas used to ring in the breeze, and are the source of the name of this peaceful spot. The temples are long gone, burned during war.

Includes a post-hike lunch at a countryside restaurant.

Cost: ¥450 / ¥405 for members / ¥220 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/312/silver-pagoda-loop-full/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Travel right on past touristy Badaling on the way out to a difficult Great Wall hike in the mountains overlooking the Guanting Reservoir in Yanqing. The climbing is steep and tough and we’ll take 4–5 hours to complete the 9km walk. We have a shorter version of this hike – on this trip we’ll do the tougher, longer route.

The Switchback

Midway through this tough hike the wall doubles back on itself in a sharp switchback, and that’s why we named this area the Switchback Great Wall. The local name is a little different: the Hunchback Great Wall!

Midway through this tough hike the wall doubles back on itself in a sharp switchback, and that’s why we named this area the Switchback Great Wall. The local name is a little different: the Hunchback Great Wall!

Cost: ¥420 / ¥380 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/854/switchback-great-wall-reverse-2/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

This hike gives great views of Pingu District’s picturesque Jinhai Lake—first an overlook from the paved ridgeline trails of the hills beside the lake, followed by close-up views on from dirt tracks and trails right by the water.

There are some steep parts in the first half of the hike, with the higher ridgeline trails nearly 200m above the water. In the second half of the hike the trail is mostly flat, with one extended climb near the end.

We’ll take breaks as we go along, and we’ll stop for a lunch break at an open area right by the water.

Cost: ¥450 / ¥405 members / ¥240 for kids

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/1958/jinhai-lake-hike/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Take a short hike through fields and up through pine forest for an overview of the tombs complex from the ridgeline of its shield of hills, and then take a walking tour through the tombs. Price includes expensive tickets.

Take a short hike through fields and up through pine forest for an overview of the tombs complex from the ridgeline of its shield of hills, and then take a walking tour through the tombs. Price includes expensive tickets.

The hike

We start out on the outskirts of a small village in the majority-Manchu Malanyu area.

To begin with we’re on an easy track, following the old quarry road up a flat valley.

After about 20 minutes we start the climb up into the hills, a slow ascent until we get to the firebreak that follows the ridgeline.

We then follow the firebreak all the way up to one of the lower peaks in the hills here. From the clearing on the peak we should be able to spot some of the tombs down below.

From the peak we head down to a dip in the hills, and then hike out along a long valley to reach the tombs area.

The Eastern Qing tombs

The Eastern Qing Tombs are located in Hebei Province, to the northeast of Beijing and a little way outside of the Beijing municipality. As opposed to the well known Ming Tombs in Changping, the Eastern Qing Tombs are grouped quite closely together, making it easy to see a lot at the same time. The tombs are no less interesting than the Ming Tombs, and several of the tombs have their underground areas—called Underground Palaces—open to visits. In some places, the red walls and halls look a little like parts of the Forbidden City, were it to have a more open-plan layout.

In the Eastern Qing Tombs complex we can visit the tombs of numerous famous figures of the Qing Dynasty, including Shun Zhi (first emperor of the Qing Dynasty), Empress Dowager Cixi, and Qian Long (seventh and longest-reigning emperor of the Qing Dynasty). The site was chosen for its auspicious feng shui: mountains behind, and water in front.

Cost: ¥600 / ¥540 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/2075/eastern-qing-tombs-hike-and-tour/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

A looping walk over tricky terrain and unrestored 'wild' Great Wall on the west side of Jiankou, peaking at the impressive Nine-Eyes Tower.

A looping walk over tricky terrain and unrestored ‘wild’ Great Wall on the west side of Jiankou, peaking at the impressive Nine-Eyes Tower.

Nine-Eyes Tower is nearly 1,200m above sea level. In its original condition it had three levels, and the lower level had nine windows on each side. It would have been an impressive sight, and still is to some extent—it’s an unusually large tower, and repairs made in 2014 show the layout of its lower level.

Around the back of the tower there are large stone tablets with carved calligraphy to look at. A spur of the wall – said to date back to the Northern Qi period (550-557 AD) – continues to head north; we’ll head west on another stretch, following repaired wall to a spot with a view of the walled army barracks and temple that was paired with the tower.

On a clear day in this spot in the heart of the mountains it will be possible to see the towers of our Great Wall Spur and Chinese Knot hikes, and the Mutianyu Great Wall, with glimpses of other sections of the Great Wall that follow nearby mountain ridges. When it’s really clear, you can see all the way back to the skyscrapers of Beijing’s CBD.

Cost: ¥430 / ¥390 for members

See a full description, more photos, and book online at https://www.beijinghikers.com/hike-in-beijing/view/560/great-wall-nine-eyes-tower-3/

Beijing Hikers—fun and friendly hikes and trips around Beijing and greater China, since 2001.

For more updates on hikes and trips follow our WeChat account BeijingHikers北京爱山 and keep an eye on www.beijinghikers.com

https://www.beijinghikers.com / info@beijinghikers.com

Step into the shadows of 1930s Beijing on this evening walk inspired by Paul French’s best-selling book Midnight in Peking. Follow the story of Pamela Werner’s unsolved murder, a mystery that gripped the city and revealed the darker undercurrents of its past.

In January 1937, the body of the young British woman was discovered at the base of the old city wall near the Fox Tower. Her death shocked both the foreign community and local Beijingers, sparking an investigation that drew together colonial intrigue, espionage, and the city’s underworld. Her case was never solved.

Decades later, Paul French took a deep dive into old police reports, private letters, and diplomatic archives to piece together what may have really happened. The result was Midnight in Peking—a haunting, bestselling book that reads like a noir thriller, but every word meant to reveal the truth.

Led by guides personally trained by Paul French, the walk takes you through alleys and landmarks once at the heart of the case. Along the way, you’ll uncover forgotten corners of old Beijing and hear stories that bring its history to life.

This is a different kind of walk through Beijing—one that winds through forgotten corners of the city where history, crime, and colonial intrigue collide.

Runs the last Sunday of every month
Price: RMB 398 per person
️Next tour: November 30, 2025

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Book via WeChat or at WildChina’s website